Classes
These are the common Pathfinder Classes available to characters in the Twilight Age Berserkers (Barbarian): The Barbarian class, to avoid confusion with the race, will be called Berserkers throughout the world. The Berserker class is entirely as presented in the CRB. Attitudes towards Berserkers vary from nation to nation, but every nation has a few of them. Bard Bards are mostly as presented in the CRB. Bards travel the world, seeking stories and lore, performing tricks and putting on shows to amuse the locals. Bards are also spies, politicians, leaders, and anything else their varied talents lend themselves to. Their magic is Divine in nature, not Arcane as presented in the CRB, and follows all the rules for divine casting except that they need not worship a Virtue or Goddess to shape the Divine forces (Bards basically adhere to the Principle of Art, though they are free to worship other divine forces as they wish). Bard-flavored Prestige Classes that require Arcane Spell levels will be changed to Divine Spell levels for the purposes of Bardic entry. Attitudes to Bards vary from village to village, but they’re generally welcomed as a distraction from the ennui of everyday living. Bards face the same restrictions on teleportation and summoning spells as all spellcasters. Cleric Clerics are mostly as described in the CRB. They have the choice of worshipping the Goddesses, revering the Virtues or adhering to a Principle. Each choice has an effect on their relationship with the forces they command, and how their magic is channeled. 'The Virtues: ' All the old gods are dead. No race and no religion was spared, they were all wiped out. For millennia this meant that instead of Gods divine magic was wrought through the worship of seven 'Virtues'. These are not deities, but rather embodiments of seven aspects of life. Even with the rise of the Goddesses, the Virtues are still the most widely worshipped religion on the planet. The nature of the Virtues as non-sentient forces rather than deities means that some spells work differently for their clerics. For instance spells like 'communion' or anything else that asks advice or questions of higher powers don’t work for them. On the other hand, the restrictions on a Cleric’s behavior are limited to what the Cleric themselves believes is in line with their Virtue, giving them a lot of leeway others do not have. A Cleric of a Virtue does not need to be within one alignment step of their chosen Virtue, nor are they restricted against casting spells of an opposing alignment, so long as they uphold their virtue. When the gods died, all of their power flooded through the world, infusing every single atom of it with divine might. This power is neutral, uniform and almost completely inert. What it does respond to is fervent and directed worship. When a cleric or paladin channels this ambient divine power they are using the force of their own worship of their chosen Virtue to draw the energy to them. They then shape this power into spells by way of secret techniques taught to them by the priests of their chosen Virtue. If the person does not truly worship the Virtue, then the divine energy won't respond at all, and if they don't know the mental techniques to form the power into a useable spell, it becomes dangerous to hold the energy in. Each of the seven virtues has temples throughout the world. The Virtues channel themselves through the bodies and minds of the First Priest of every order, making them the Avatars of their Virtues and granting them godlike power. These Avatars travel the world, going from temple to temple and spreading their faith. Each of the Virtues is neutral by itself, but each also has a good and an evil aspect. Minor temples are usually dedicated to one of the aspects of their Virtue, but the major temples are always dedicated to the neutral Virtue itself. The Virtues are: Prudence (Temperance as good; Patience as Evil) Strength (Courage as good; Wrath as evil) Beauty (Glory as good; Power as evil) Desire (Love as good; Lust as evil) Balance (Selflessness as good; Selfishness as evil) Confidence (Righteousness as good; Pride as evil) Survival (Peacefulness as good; Rule as evil) 'The Goddesses:' The Goddesses came about during the Dissolution 3000 years ago. They, and the heroes that journeyed with them, healed the Planescarring that had sealed the world off from the Outer Planes. This done, the path to Divine Ascension was open. The first to rise was the Goddess Sharra, known as the Great Mother and the Dragon-Goddess. The next was the Wandering Goddess, who trod the Lonely Path and stole the eyes of the Demon King. Finally, the Dual Goddess, one Goddess in two beings or two Goddesses in one Being, Ascended to complete the Trinity. Clerics of the Goddesses follow the old rules. They gain their power from the Goddesses directly, and if the Goddesses so choose they can cut their servants off from that power. A Cleric of the Goddesses must be within one alignment step of their patron, and no Cleric of the Goddesses can cast a spell of an alignment opposed to their Goddess. Clerics of the Goddesses are, however, able to commune with their deities and gain some insight into the divine will, and perhaps some important truths about the world (so Communion and such spells work fine for them). The Goddesses are active in the world, but they rarely put in personal appearances. They are mostly concerned with the Blood War, the conflict being waged to take back the Outer Planes from the Demons and Devils that overran them during the long absence of the Gods. As such, Clerics of the Goddesses often serve as recruiters, looking for strong warriors and heroes to travel to the planes and aid the Goddesses in their struggle. The Goddesses are: Sharra, the Mother Goddess, the highest Goddess (Family, divinity, war, power) The Wandering Goddess (Shadows, mischief, traveling, chaos) The Dual Goddess (Magic, knowledge, duality, crafting) -> Galadia (Light, weather, life) -> Duria (Dark, justice, death) 'The Principles:' Principles are a strange way of gaining Divine Power. They function like Virtues in that the power is drawn from the world and manipulated by concentrated worship, but there is no manifestation to focus on, only a nebulous concept. The magic of Bards has come from a Principle for 6000 years, but theirs is a unique method. After the ascension of the Goddesses it suddenly became much easier to focus divine power through worship of a Principle, and soon Clerics began appearing that gained their power through the strict adherence to a single Principle. Clerics of the Virtues see the Principles as a kind of ‘baby Virtue’. Those who worship the Goddesses view the Principles as redundant, the Goddesses already embody most of what the Principles are, why bother jumping through the hoops needed to gain power from them? The Principles are the most difficult method of gaining divine power, and because of their abstract nature, they are also hard to simply follow as a lay worshipper. Theoretically, a Cleric needs only to hold fast to their idea of the Principle they adhere to, and the power will come to them as needed. Many Clerics, however, find that keeping to the strict tenets of an abstract idea is all but impossible in the chaotic and often conflicting world we live in. Principles allow for no leeway, and are unforgiving of those who fall short of their ideal. Still, there is purpose and power to be had here, and not tied to any of the established religions and their millennia of accumulated ritual and dogma. Clerics face the same restrictions on teleportation and summoning spells as all spellcasters. Additionally, the only resurrection spell that works is True Resurrection. Druid Druids are as presented in the CRB. They do not cast divine spells, but rather draw their power from a different source entirely, Nature itself. Most Druids can trace their training back to the Woodlords, though the practice has spread across the world and is no longer, if it ever had been, under the Woodlord’s control. Druids are very important to Woodlord society, and are highly respected in their ranks, regardless of race. Druids are capable of spontaneously casting either the Cure series of spells or the Inflict series of spells (which they add to their spell list at their Cleric levels), but not both. Good Druids spontaneously cast the Cure series, Evil Druids the Inflict series, neutral Druids must choose at character creation which they want to be able to spontaneously cast, and cannot change it later. Druids face the same restrictions on teleportation and summoning spells as all spellcasters. Additionally, Reincarnation does not operate. Fighter Most Fighters are generally as presented in the CRB for all areas. There are several recognized ‘schools’ of Fighters that crop up just about anywhere. Some schools are a simple matter of Feat choice, while others require alterations to the class itself. The main schools of Fighters are: Archers, Duelists, and Knights. Other Fighter class options are at the GM’s discretion, and once chosen, a Fighter cannot change their school. Monk Monks are as described in the PCR, but they do not receive Abundant Step (since it’s basically teleportation, they receive a Bonus Combat Feat instead), and their Empty Body ability is incorporeality, not etherealness. Attitudes towards monks rarely vary, and every region has a few monasteries set up somewhere in it (except Lincaeum, which doesn’t have room for one), though only a few monasteries are famous enough to be well-known. The monk orders keep up a fair level of competition, especially between competing alignments, but generally recognize each other as brethren and will help wandering monks from other orders. Most monasteries are dedicated to a Virtue, and serve as temples besides their ascetic purposes. There are a few monasteries dedicated to the Goddesses, but they are very rare. Paladin The Champions of the faithful, Paladins are found all over the world, promoting their faith through great deeds. They can be treated as a part of the clergy of their faith, but often prefer to be seen as lay people. Paladins are mostly as described in the CRB, except that if they choose a mount as their Divine Bond their special mount must be a normal horse that they imbue with divine energy. This mount cannot be summoned, nor can you teleport to this mount. Additionally, a weapon chosen as a Divine Bond is not given a called spirit, but rather imbued with divine power by the Paladin himself. Most Paladins cast divine spells, and so must be sworn to a Goddess, a Principle or an aspect of a Virtue. Paladins are not restricted to the Lawful Good alignment, but must be within one alignment step of their chosen deity. Any good-aligned Paladin uses the Paladin class in the CRB, any evil-aligned Paladin must use the Anti-Paladin presented in the Advanced Player’s Guide. Neutral Paladins must choose one class or the other, and cannot switch between them. The Paladin’s code of conduct is not necessarily the one described in the CRB, but must synergize with the Paladin’s chosen deity and will likely be similarly restrictive. Paladins face the same restrictions on teleportation and summoning spells as all spellcasters. Ranger Rangers are mostly as presented in the CRB. They are often regarded as a special kind of Archer or Duelist (depending on their chosen fighting style), though they often bristle at being lumped in with other warriors. Every nation has some form of Ranger group, as their skills in the wilderness and against the dangerous creatures of the world are far too valuable to be without. In Nordia, the acknowledged masters of Ranger training are the Woodlords, and they have an agreement with many nations to provide this training to willing candidates. These Rangers are some of the few outsiders allowed into the Great Wood, and they take this honor very seriously. In Orentia and Sudia Ranger training is done in-house. There are no game differences between Rangers trained in the Great Wood and those not, but it is acknowledged in-game that Woodlord-trained Rangers are of a superior quality all around than those trained elsewhere, even in the Star-Elf kingdoms. Rangers cast spells that draw their power from Nature, like Druids, and so do not need to be sworn to a Virtue or Goddess. Many still dedicate themselves to a divine entity, though. Rangers face the same restrictions on teleportation and summoning spells as all spellcasters. Rogue Rogues are entirely as presented in the CRB. They can be anything from thief to spy to silver-tongued diplomat. Sorcerer Sorcerers are mostly as presented in the CRB. They face the same restrictions as Wizards in regards to summoning or teleportation spells. All Sorcerers have Draconic ancestry. At start of play a Sorcerer must declare which type of dragon his powers come from (though it need not have any game effect). This does not restrict Sorcerers to the Draconic Bloodline powers, but is rather the basis for their ability to cast spells at all. The lifting of the Planescarring 3000 years ago has given a Sorcerer’s Draconic blood the ability to quicken other, hidden aspects of their nature as well. (If your chosen bloodline gives you a power or spell that violates the rules against low-level teleportation or summoning spells, speak to the GM about finding an appropriate substitute). A Sorcerer’s Familiar (when they have them) is not a summoned creature, but an animal that the Sorcerer has imbued with arcane energy, enhancing it. Familiars follow all the normal rules in the CRB otherwise (with the exception of the usual magic restrictions). Wizard Wizards are mostly as presented in the CRB. However, they cannot use any spell that in any way teleports or otherwise crosses planar boundaries unless that spell is 9th level. Millennia ago most Wizards were taught their arts at the Lincaean Universities of the Arcane, which held a monopoly on arcane teaching outside of the Deepland. These Universities lost their monopoly soon after the Dissilution broke apart the nations that supported it, leading to hundreds of competing schools of Wizardry. This model was found to be unstable when the Mage-Kings rose to power, and then nearly destroyed the world in the first MageWar. It has taken 2000 years and two more MageWars to return a semblance of balance and control to the world of the Arcane. Lincaean Universities are still known as the best place to get an education (magical and otherwise), but they are expensive and very demanding. The Temnroe Academies, which boast the best full curriculum for Sorcerers, are fairly close in both quality and the number of nations that have one. The Deepland War College, once the only opposition to the Lincaean monopoly, is a distant third. Powerful nations that do not boast one of these often have their own Wizard’s School, but the treaty that ended the last MageWar has put all schools of the Arcane under the supervision of the Magus Order. The Magus Order is a society of Archmages, made up of the most powerful and influential Arcanists in the world. It is based in Lincaeum (though sworn to neutrality on inter-school conflicts), and is the final word on all disputes concerning the Arcane. A Wizard’s Familiar, when they have them, is not a summoned creature, but an animal that the Wizard has imbued with arcane energy, enhancing it. Familiars follow all the normal rules in the PCR otherwise (with the exception of the usual magic restrictions). Alchemist Alchemists are an outgrowth of the explosion in magical learning and experimentation during the Age of Wonders. Originally a strange Gnomish group of over-enthusiastic Artificers, the discovery of Extraction allowed them to brew up magically potent and chemically impossible concoctions that catapulted the Universitas Alchemica into the mainstream. Now there are Alchemy colleges attached to every Lincaean University, and most other schools of magic have at least a token Faculty of Alchemical Studies. The Universitas Alchemica in Gringlebond remains the premier school for Alchemists, and though the bumbling or insane Alchemist searching for the key to immortality has become a common Bardic character, they do command their fair share of respect in the academic and adventuring communities. When an Alchemist extraction or ability duplicates a spell, it must conform to the normal rules for spellcasters in regards to resurrection, teleportation and summoning spells. Inquisitor The peace between the faiths of the Goddesses and the Virtues is enshrined in the Divine Charter, but while the Charter binds the Deities and Virtues themselves to peace, it has no hold on their worshippers. To uphold the peace of the Charter a special order of priests was created, the Inquisition. Initially just an organization of clerics from both faiths, the Inquisition quickly began to diverge in its training of new clergy. By the time of the first MageWar, the Inquisitors had become something different. While still considered priests, and while they were still educated and sworn to their respective faiths, the Inquisitors were a powerful force capable of sending agents anywhere in the world with the authority to investigate any religious matter they deemed necessary. Existing outside of the main hierarchy of both faiths, Inquisitors ensure that the Charter is maintained, answering only to their own hierarchy and the Deities and Virtues themselves. Essentially, they’re religion cops. Of all the tasks entrusted to the Inquisition, none is more important than rooting out the Cult of the Ryvian. To this end Inquisitors can be found all over the world, traveling with adventuring groups or on their own, always seeking the signs of the deadly Cult, and destroying them where they may. While those in authority both secular and sectarian bristle at the Inquisition and its methods, most admit that at this task they are the best. An Inquisitor must be sworn to a Virtue or a Goddess, and they follow all the normal rules for a Cleric so sworn. There are no Inquisitors of a Principle. Oracle The Oracles are the chosen of the Goddesses, given power and purpose to do the will of the Deities in the world. While the typical Cleric comes to the Goddesses, for the Oracle it is the Goddesses that come to her. All Oracles are women, chosen for some quality known only to the Goddesses, who are gifted with a sudden revelation of Divine Mystery. Some women experience this revelation as a blinding flash of perfect knowledge that quickly fades, others see cryptic visions, and still more insist that they were in the physical presence of their Goddess and seeing her without any buffers, revealing the full grace and power of the Divine. Regardless of how they experience this revelation, the Oracle emerges from it changed. They have been granted power by their patron Goddess, the knowledge of spells and the might to wield them. They have also been permanently scarred by their experience, some are lamed, some haunted, others find themselves speaking in strange tongues when under pressure, and still others are blinded or worse. This Oracle’s Curse can, however, become a blessing in itself with time, transforming from a disability into a surprising advantage. These women leave their homes, their families and all they knew and set off into the world, driven by the Mystery they experienced. Each Mystery is associated with a certain Goddess, and forms the purpose and role that they wish the Oracle to fulfill. The Goddesses are notorious for keeping closer tabs on their Oracles than they do their own high Clergy, and often take an active interest in the progress of their Oracles along their Mysteries. The Mysteries and their corresponding Goddesses are: Battle = Sharra Bones = Duria Flame = Sharra Heavens = Sharra Life = Galadia Lore = The Dual Goddess Nature = The Wandering Goddess Stone = The Wandering Goddess Waves = Duria Wind = Galadia Oracles face the same restrictions on resurrection, teleportation and summoning spells as Clerics. They also must be within one alignment step of their patron Goddess, and cannot cast spells of an opposite alignment to their patron. Summoner In the days before the Great War, legend tells us that mighty Wizards could call forth armies of celestial or fiendish beings from the outer planes to do their bidding. It is said that these creatures would do battle at their summoner’s command, unable to refuse them. When the Old Gods died and the Planescarring sealed the world away, such Summoning spells became useless. Even with the healing of the Planescarring, it is impossible to transport a planar being out of their realm and into the world without the mightiest of Magics, let alone control them once they are here. So the entire summoning school of spells was abandoned until Conjurers during the second MageWar discovered a different type of Summoning. Instead of calling creatures from beyond to fight for you, these new summoning spells create a creature without a soul, completely under its creator’s control, but purely a temporary construct. There were many limits to these new spells that were not in the old, but they worked quite well, and allowed those Conjurers to turn the tide of battles. After the second MageWar, in the Age of Wonders, these new summoning spells were spread throughout the Arcanist population, studied and improved upon. Some became so enamored of these spells that they founded a school devoted to their study and perfection. Their greatest breakthrough was the creation of the Eidolon, a summoned creature that was imbued with part of the summoner’s own soul, giving it sentience and permanence not found in any other summoned being. While the training that leads to the creation and perfection of an Eidolon severely restricts a student’s magical development in other areas, most see the tradeoff as being well worth it. Summoners are fairly rare, as only a few magical schools teach the techniques for creating an Eidolon, but they are not unknown even in the remote regions of the world. Summoners face all the normal restrictions on teleportation and summoning spells. Their Gate ability does not allow them to summon or call a creature, it will, however, still function in a teleportation manner. The Eidolon is not an Outsider, but it is treated as one for all usual purposes. Witch Of all the magic schools to survive the MageWars to the present day, the schools of Witchcraft are among the strangest. Technically, all Witches are Wizards with a limited spell selection and a unique type of spellbook. It is their Hex ability that truly sets them apart from their more traditionally-educated brethren. Initially an experiment in merging a traditional Arcane education with the granted power of a Warlock, Witches mix a little of both into a cohesive whole that is deceptively potent. The Hex powers of Witches are gained through strange rites and pacts with various entities. The most common of these are the Fae Courts, but like Warlocks they can also be Celestials, Infernals, or stranger things. This connection does not control the Witch, or even influence them overmuch (though some would claim otherwise). Beyond granting the Witch the raw power to use in their Hexes, it also grants them bonus spells associated with a particular theme. There are a dozen Schools of Witchcraft throughout the world, but the three prime schools are the ones at Mystara (primarily dedicated to Fae pacts), East Call (Celestial pacts) and Thran (Elemental pacts). Infernal pacts are never openly advertised when they happen, for fear of the Inquisition. Most traditionally educated Arcanists view Witches with some suspicion, as they tend to act in mysterious ways and do not adhere to the usually strict laws of academia. Clerics of the Goddesses flat out do not trust Witches, often assuming their pact-patron must be a Demon or Devil using the Witch to further the Blood War on earth. More than once this has brought the schools of Witchcraft under the unwanted scrutiny of the Inquisition. To most common people, Witches, Wizards and Sorcerers are much alike, all of them are terrifying in their power and ineffable in their motives. Witches face the same limitations on resurrection, teleportation and summoning spells and powers as all other spellcasters. Gunslinger Gunslingers are a new and strange class of martial warrior. The secrets of black powder have been around for thousands of years, and cannons have been a fixture of naval and seige warfare for about as long. Firearms, however, have always been unique curiosities. There are tales of gunslingers from the Age of Wonders, but they were essentially mystical warriors, weilding weapons that were explicitly magical and unique to them. In the Third Mage War the scramble to create new and more effective weapons saw the first mass-production of firearms. The nation that created them soon found out that they were not enough to save them, but the designs spread and Artificers quickly codified and standardised the design of guns. Today guns are still prohibitively expensive and wickedly difficult to use. No army would equip their troops with guns when a low-tier magical crossbow can be had for around the same price, and used with much less training. Still, the advantages of a firearm in close-range combat have gained them a following with wandering heroes. Training in firearms is rare, only the Deepland Warcollege and Dragonmaw Keep offer to teach students the way of the gun, and neither accept students easily. Thus modern gunslingers have earned a reputation as gruff individualists, used to fighting for every chance they can get and taking extreme risks. Many other warriors are wary of gunslingers, as tactics against them are in short supply. Category:World Information